The 21-year-old said that his focus is on how he can progress into the next round every time he plays a match.
“The spotlight is on Nadal but…,” Carlos Alcaraz reveals if Rafael Nadal’s presence affects the amount of media coverage he receives

Carlos Alcaraz, Rafael Nadal (Images via Imago)

The Roland Garros main draw has started and Carlos Alcaraz has already played his first match. It did not take him much time to beat J.J. Wolf in the first round with a scoreline of 6-1, 6-2, 6-1.

After the match, Alcaraz was asked whether the presence of 14-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal affects the amount of media coverage he receives. The 21-year-old said that his focus is on how he can progress into the next round every time he plays a match.

Obviously, Rafa being here in Paris, which is his tournament, the spotlight is going to be on him, but I didn't feel any less pressure, whether he was in the tournament or not. I try to move forward day by day, gaining confidence, because I don't have many hours on the court, but little by little I'm gaining confidence and that's the only thing that concerns me at the moment. 

Carlos Alcaraz said (via Punto de Break) 

Nadal, after repeating all the time that he was uncertain whether he would play in Paris or not, was finally back at the Grand Slam event where no player (both men and women) has enjoyed more success than him. He missed last year’s event due to a hip injury. In his first match at the ongoing Roland Garros, Nadal locked horns with Alexander Zverev and lost with a scoreline of 6-3, 7-6, 6-3.

Carlos Alcaraz watches Rafael Nadal play at Roland Garros

Some of the players who will be bidding to lift the French Open title graced the Philippe-Chatrier court on Monday (May 27) to watch Rafael Nadal take on Alexander Zverev. The two defending champions, Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek were in the stands. Along with that, Carlos Alcaraz, who is being touted as the successor of Nadal, was in attendance as well.

Carlos Alcaraz Rafael Nadal (Image via Imago)

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After his first-round match, the young Spaniard will face Jesper De Jong. Djokovic, on the other hand, will kick-start his campaign on May 28th against Pierre-Hugues Herbert. The Serb is dealing with a rough patch as he is yet to emerge victorious this season, losing the five tournaments he played en route to the Roland Garros. He failed to even reach the final of these events, including in the ATP 250 Geneva Open.

Swiatek, as always, secured an easy straight-set win over Leolia Jeanjean in her first round to set herself up a clash against four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka, scheduled on May 29th.